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March 2015 | #WS2003EOL

The Great IT Upgrade

IT pros are migrating from the land of
Windows Server 2003... into modern territory.

Making the Tech Grade: IT pros sound off on the

Youvalue
Back,ofUnion
IT training.
Jack? 1
Sponsored by:
 Windows Server
2003

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2 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL #dvvweWS2003EO
TABLE OF CONTENTS

00 The WinServer
Migration Trail 03 Destination: WinServer
2012... and Beyond
PAGE 04 PAGE 18

01 IT Pros Joining
the Caravan 04 Head’Em Up and
Move’Em Out
PAGE 06 PAGE 20

02 The Realities of
Migration 05 Details on
the Data
PAGE 10 PAGE 22

March 2015 3
 X

00
The WinServer
Migration Trail
INTRODUCTION
 For most companies, there comes a time Another day, another Microsoft EOL, right?
when they must veer away from their well- Perhaps. But while WinServer 2003 will be
traveled path and forge a new one… espe- unsupported as of July 14, 2015, the outlook
cially when the old path might lead them into beyond… is pretty bright.
dangerous territory! As you may have heard,
support for Microsoft Windows Server 2003
is heading off into the sunset – and IT pros
everywhere are striking out in search of
greener pastures.

4 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL
SURVEY INFO
 As IT pros around the world prepare to leave
WinServer 2003 behind, we asked nearly 1,300*
of them to tell us about their plans. They shared
how they’re preparing to migrate, what obstacles
they expect to encounter, and the opportunities
that await them.
Did someone say opportunities? Yep! For one,
OS migration gives IT departments the chance
to modernize using technologies like virtualiza-
tion and cloud. No doubt there will be obstacles
along the way. But there’s a bright future on the
horizon and IT pros are forging ahead toward
lands rich in tech resources. Here’s what we
learned along the way...
KEY FINDINGS
1. Preparation.
While we’re not seeing a mad rush to
upgrade, nearly all the IT pros we surveyed
say they’re aware that WinServer 2003 will
soon reach EOL, and three-quarters of
those who haven’t already migrated plan
to saddle up and head out beforehand.
2. Modernization.
Roughly two-thirds of IT pros who are
moving on are migrating to the newest,
most advanced WinServer OS available
today: Windows Server 2012 R2.
3. Virtualization.
IT pros aren’t hanging up the saddle at
software upgrades. Many are making
server virtualization a part of their migra-
tion, whether moving apps from physical
servers to VMs or upgrading WinServer
2003 VMs in their virtual infrastructure.
Clearly, at a time like this, an IT pro’s gotta do…
what an IT pro’s gotta do. Most respondents
have either already migrated, are in the process,
or are at some stage of planning their migration.
Where’s your organization on the path lead-
ing away from WinServer 2003? Are all your
provisions in order (compared to your fellow
travelers)? Or could you use a little more
prep time? Are you eager to hit the trail with
opportunities to modernize and virtualize –
or are you taking a more measured approach?
Saddle up alongside our survey respondents
for a clear picture of the new IT frontier.
March 2015 5
 01
IT Pros Joining
the Caravan
 Yep, it’s time to mosey along. Ninety-four percent
of IT pros surveyed are aware that Microsoft is end-
ing support for WinServer 2003 on July 14, 2015.
And they’re not letting any moss grow under their
feet, either. Of those surveyed, 63% have either
already migrated or partially migrated, and
another 28% are in the planning stages.
Of those in the planning stages, 76% said
their migration will be off to the races
before the EOL date.

Status of Migration Away from WinServer 2003

Fully migrated

15%
Partially migrated

48%
Planning to migrate

28%
No current plans to migrate

8%
Don’t know

1%

6 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL
Target Date for Migration
(Among those not yet fully migrated)

10% 14%
3%

Within the next month

12% Within the next 2-3 months (Before EOL)
Within the next 4-6 months

Within the next 6-12 months

(After EOL)
Beyond the next 12 months
35%
Don’t know

27%

March 2015 7
 And where exactly is this great migration taking IT pros? Most are choosing to move to
Windows Server 2012 R2, with WinServer 2008 R2 second in line.

Top Server OS Selections During Migration

(Among those fully migrated, partially migrated, or planning to migrate)

Microsoft Windows Server 2008

6%
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
39%
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
14%
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
64%
Linux

9%

Why are so many gravitating toward WinServer 2012/2012 R2? Because it’s the latest and
greatest version of Windows Server available, of course! Other reasons vary from software
standardization to virtualization, but few are doing it just for the features/functionality.

Top Reasons for Migrating to WinServer 2012/2012 R2

(Among those migrating to WS2012/2012 R2)

Latest/greatest version

56%
Software standardization/ease of management
39%
Already own licenses
37%
Features/functionality
37%
Virtualization capability
36%

8 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL
We’ll take a closer look at the role of virtualiza-
tion in migrating away from WinServer 2003 “WinServer 2003 has been great. I guess
later in this report. But, whoa, steady! Before it’s time to move on, but I have to say
we get too caught up in the excitement of
2003 performed well and never gave
the new frontier, let’s slow our pace and take
a good hard look at some of the realities of
me any trouble.”
getting there. – Matt B., IT Director

March 2015 9
 02
The Realities
of Migration
 As IT pros trek away from WinServer 2003, least four months – maybe more. In reality,
there’s some good news, and some… not almost half of those who’ve already completed
so good news. Let’s start with the length of a their migration report that the actual process
typical migration. Thirty-two percent of those – from planning to execution – took them a
who haven’t started or who’ve only partially month or less. Yee-haw!
migrated expect an arduous journey of at

Expected vs. Actual Migration Timeline

Anticipated
Migration
Timeline 14% 12% 38% 19% 13% 4%
(Among those not yet fully migrated)

Actual
Migration
Timeline 32% 14% 30% 11% 10% 3%
(Among those fully migrated)

Less than 1 month 4-6 months

1 month Longer than 6 months
2-3 months Don’t know

10 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL #dvvweWS2003EO
In addition, it looks like the vast majority of
surveyed IT pros are going all in and migrating
ALL of their WinServer 2003 systems. Less than
a quarter indicate they won’t be upgrading every
system. In those cases, only “non-critical” systems
will be left on WinServer 2003.
Servers Involved in the Migration
(Among those fully migrated, partially migrated, or planning to migrate)
3% 2%
22%
73%
“We still have one WinServer 2003
VM that is hosting an instance of
outdated, unsupported [software].
It will be phased out from use by
the end of the year and remain
active for archival purposes.”
– Jeremy C., IT Manager
Migrating all WinServer 2003 systems
Migrating some systems
Migrating none
Don’t know yet
March 2015 11
12 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL
As far as their approach to migration, many
IT pros (76%) are jumping on the tech bandwa-
gon by purchasing new servers, cloud services,
and/or new virtualization solutions in addition
to new software.
In addition, a whopping three-quarters
of respondents are moving toward some
form of virtualization, whether saddled
up on new servers or existing VMs.

Migration Approach of IT Pros Fully, Partially or Planning to Migrate

Moving apps to our virtualized servers

74%
Purchasing new servers with software

30%
Purchasing standalone server software

16%
Moving to cloud/hosted service provider solution

12%

March 2015 13
 ROUTE ROADBLOCKS

When it comes to migrating applications, the (And when it comes to concerns over time,
path isn’t as clear-cut. Not everyone is planning we’ve already established it doesn’t take as
to migrate ALL their systems/apps. For some apps long to migrate as many expect.)
(email, VPN, CRM, VDI, VoIP) it’s pretty much
straightforward. But it seems that others – partic-
ularly custom apps – could pose challenges and “Still got two WS2003 servers
require a different approach (such as continuing here. I’ve got everything I need to
to host these apps on WinServer2003 past its EOL).
replace them… except the time.”
So what else keeps IT pros from migrating all – Matt B., IT Director
their servers away from WinServer 2003? For
approximately half of respondents, it’s as
simple as “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

If their previous systems still work, they see

no immediate need to change, despite the
dangers. Other cited barriers to full migration
ranging from lack of time and budget to hard-
ware compatibility.

Top Barriers to a Full Migration

(Among those not fully migrated)
No immediate need/system is still working

51%
Lack of time

48%
Budget constraints

37%

Compatibility with current software/apps

31%
Considering new IT infrastructure approach (e.g. virtualization/cloud)

20%
Compatibility with current hardware

12%

14 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL #dvvweWS2003EO
The problem with the wait-and-see strategy is, of
course, the risk. Many IT pros are rightly concerned
– after all, once your OS is no longer supported, if
something goes awry… all bets are off. Are you
willing to flip a coin on possible downtime, your
users’ productivity, or your company’s data?
That gamble simply doesn’t sit well. Of IT pros
surveyed, 85% worry about the security risks
associated with an unsupported OS. Other top
concerns include software incompatibility and
compliance risks.

Concerns about Unsupported WinServer 2003

(Among those who plan to have WS2003 systems after EOS)
Security risks

85%
Software incompatibility

72%
Compliance risks

66%
Reliability

65%
Downtime

65%
Performance

58%
Data loss

58%
Operating costs/requirements

55%
Hardware incompatibility

55%

March 2015 15
 Sounds like even more reason to forge ahead… IT pros who report their organizations will continue
with some WinServer 2003 systems are taking actions to mitigate risks, though:

• Restricting/monitoring access to • Backing up data

WinServer 2003 servers - “Backup, backup, hiccup... backup.”
- “We’ll be locking down services
• Migrating ASAP
and limiting access.”
- “We have one WinServer 2003 server
• Re-purposing ancient hardware that will be phased out when we retire
- “All remaining [WS2003] servers the app that it runs.”
have been virtualized.”

OX STORE

16 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL
Finally, when it comes to how IT pros are paying for
and carrying out their migration, survey respondents
report an average budget of $60,000 – though more
than a third of organizations (38%) report having
no budget dedicated to their migration.
Additionally, more than three-quarters indicate
they plan to go it alone, migrating themselves rather
than hiring a third party to guide them.

Approach to Managing Migration

(Among those fully migrated, partially migrated, or planning to migrate)

3% 2%

18%

Manage in-house
Outsource partially to a third party
Outsource entirely to a third party
Don’t know

77%

March 2015 17
 03
Destination: WinServer
2012... and Beyond
 So what exactly awaits IT pros once they
reach the promised land? In the new, mod-
ern WinServer 2012 OS environment, they’ll
be enjoying a landscape of new technology.
As mentioned, 74% of those migrating from Win-
Server 2003 will move their apps to virtualized
environments as part of their migration. And it’s
a pretty even split between those moving to
brand new virtualized servers (56%) and existing
ones (54%).

Approach to Virtualization
(Among those fully migrated, partially migrated, or planning to migrate)

Moving apps from a physical to an existing virtualized server

31%
Moving apps from a physical to a new virtualized server

34% 74%
plan to
Moving apps from a virtualized server to another existing virtualized server move apps
to virtualized
23% instances
Moving apps from a virtualized server to a new virtualized server

22%

18 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL
Virtualization seems to be a foregone conclusion.
Cloud… not so much. Only 12% of surveyed IT
pros report plans to migrate to a cloud or hosted
service provider solution. And of those, 50% are
just moving email into the cloud (mostly to
Microsoft Office 365).
This suggests that many IT pros are still leery of
moving their full infrastructure into the wild
blue yonder… likely due to concerns about
security/control and cost effectiveness.

Windows
Server 2012

OPEN

March 2015 19
 04
Head’Em Up and
Move’Em Out
 If you haven’t been looking forward to the
prospect of migrating away from WinServer “Woohoo! So long, WinServer
2003, maybe this report will help… spur you 2003! You were a beautiful
into action! Based on IT pros surveyed, it’s
OS for your time. Alas, this
high time to move on to a more hospitable
– and future-ready – OS environment. It may chapter comes to a close....”
seem like a long trail, but the terrain is for- – Chris H., Network/Systems Administrator
giving. And while there may be a few road
hazards along the way, you’ll find plenty of
Want more? Check out the Spiceworks
rewards once you reach your destination. Windows Server EOL group.
Whether you’re mapping your journey or
you’ve already set out, we suggest you
follow in the footsteps of those IT pros
who’ve gone before you. They’ve already
reached greener pastures by using Win-
Server 2003 migration as an opportunity to
modernize their environments from
software to servers, both physical
and virtual. Happy trails!

20 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL
March 2015 21
 05
Details on the Data
 We hope you found this tale of migration
insightful and engaging. You’ve just read Spice-
works’ version of data gone spicy: Our answer
to humdrum data. We tackle the tech issues of
today… and what’s coming soon to a server
room near you.
And we deliver it all with more originality and
spice than your typical run-of-the-mill reports.
Drawing from a user base of more than 6 million
IT pros, it’s a glimpse into tech you can’t get
anywhere else.

Region

53% 27%
10%

North America EMEA APAC Other 10%

22 The Great IT Upgrade: IT pros are migrating from the land of Windows Server 2003... into modern territory | #WS2003EOL #dvvweWS2003EO
 Industry

14% 10% 8% 8% 7% 7% 6% 5%

Manufacturing IT Service Education Healthcare Finance Government Non Profit Retail

Provider

Company Size

7%
10%

7% 37% 1-99 employees

100-499 employees
500-999 employees
1,000-4,999 employees
5,000+ employees

39%

March 2015 23
 Sources
*Asked of IT pros who’ve either migrated from WinServer 2003 in the last year or who currently have a
WinServer 2003 server on their network.

Credits
Research: Priscilla Brave, Tracy Peto, Jace Recio
Copy & Editing: Mary Summerall, Lisa Young, Andrew Baron
Illustration & design: Julian Hector, Clarice Bajkowski

This report was sponsored by SanDisk.

SanDisk Corporation, a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, is a global leader in flash storage solutions.
For more than 25 years, SanDisk has expanded the possibilities of storage, providing trusted and
innovative products that have transformed the electronics industry. Today, SanDisk’s quality, state-of-
the-art solutions are at the heart of many of the world’s largest data centers, and embedded in advanced
smart phones, tablets and PCs. Over the last three years, SanDisk has built a strong, enterprise-class
portfolio of cutting-edge storage and software solutions, augmented most recently by its acquisition
of Fusion-io. SanDisk supports a growing enterprise portfolio of system and software solutions, which
includes the SanDisk ION Accelerator, flash-appliance, FlashSoft server caching software, ZetaScale
flash-acceleration software and the recently launched InfiniFlash next-generation storage platform.

Voice of IT ®
About Spiceworks Voice of IT®

The Spiceworks Voice of IT market insights program publishes stats, trends and opinions collected from technology
professionals that are among the more than 6 million users of Spiceworks. Survey panelists opt-in to answer questions on
technology trends important to them. To find out more about our research capabilities, email insights@spiceworks.com.

About Spiceworks

Spiceworks is the professional network 6 million IT professionals use to connect with one another and over 3,000
technology brands. The company simplifies how IT professionals discover, buy and manage more than $600 billion
in technology products and services each year. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Spiceworks is backed by Adams Street
Partners, Austin Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), Goldman Sachs, Shasta Ventures and Tenaya Capital.
For more information www.spiceworks.com.

For other Spiceworks Voice of IT reports visit: Follow Spiceworks on Twitter and connect with
www.spiceworks.com/marketing/resources/ Spiceworks on Facebook.

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is based on sources that Spiceworks believes to be reliable, Spiceworks does not guarantee the accuracy, and any such information might be
incomplete or condensed. Any estimates included in this report constitute Spiceworks’ judgment as of the date of compilation, and are subject
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